Report: John Hart turns down GM job for Atlanta Braves; Dayton Moore emerges as candidate
By Brad Rowland
UPDATE: John Schuerholz has denied the below report, according to David O’Brien of the AJC, saying that it was “inaccurate”. Stay tuned for the latest as the story unfolds.
—–
The Atlanta Braves are in a state of flux with regard to the front office, and things got a little more murky on Tuesday evening. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is now reporting that interim general manager John Hart has turned down an offer to become the permanent replacement for Frank Wren, and as a result, the organization has shifted focus toward assistant general manager John Coppolella or perhaps Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore.
Sources: John Hart has turned down the Braves' offer to be GM. For now, Atlanta focused on AGM John Coppolella and Royals GM Dayton Moore.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 15, 2014
It is a mild surprise that Hart would elect to spurn the formal offer, but at the same time, there was some skepticism as to whether he was interested in becoming the full-time guy. Much of “Braves Twitter” has been championing the thought of Coppolella as the GM based on his analytical background, and as a fan of that approach, I would wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy.
In the case of Dayton Moore, there is a long and somewhat questionable track record of decision-making, but at the same time, his name is sure to be a hot commodity given the Royals current run through the 2014 playoffs. Moore also has the benefit of ties to the organization under the John Schuerholz regime, and that makes him a logical choice for some.
It remains to be seen as to who the final choice will be, but at this point, it appears that John Hart will not be the permanent GM of the Atlanta Braves.